The Fox's Scroll
by Mountain Sky
Summary: Oath: Book 1: Water - In Wan Shi Tong's library, Aang studied books on alternate dimensions. A while after, he swore an oath to destroy all evil. OC amnesiac writer named Kaoda is summoned by the spirits to help him. Azula helped Zuko at first, banished with him, and neither interested in capturing the Avatar. Aang is from the Northern Air Temple, and North Water Tribe almost gone.
1. Chapter 1

"Hm, what's this?" I mumble as I look at the book. The title was 'Overlapping', and from what I could gather it was something about how there are multiple timelines, and how they're all called alternate dimensions. I check the shelf to make sure there was a second copy before stuffing it in my bag. Then Sokka calls me and I forget about it.

* * *

"I swear that I'll return the balance!" I yell into the echo chamber. I check behind me to make sure the doors were locked once more, nervous that someone might hear me vent my frustration. "I'll do it because I wish for the world to balance! Not because I'm avatar!"

The echos continue and I just sit against the wall and listen to my voice declare the oaths, fading slightly each time. When they finally stop echoing, I open the door to find that it's night time. I slowly make my way back to where we are camping out and stretch out on my sleeping bag. Toph gives me a funny look, but I just smile at her. I turn over and close my eyes, ready for whatever comes next.

* * *

I sigh as I shift the ash through my fingers once more. Finally I stand and head for the only place left that was still like what I had known, the Si Wong Desert. I start walking away from the place where I think Ba Sing Se was, it's kind of hard to tell anymore with the way mountains had moved. The 'Impenetrable City' had been the last on my long list of places to check, but I hadn't found a single human, or any land animals. The only creatures I had encountered were the penguin-seals, the elephant-koi, and the Unagai. A bitter snort escapes me as I trudge through the black ash, no longer bothering to try to blow a path through it.

Ozai, the so called Phoenix king, had gone over-board, and burned everything, even melting the north water tribe's holdings and killing all of the water tribe, once and for all before he burned up above the Earth Kingdom and exploded, setting everything alight. Not even the people of the fire nation had survived. My thoughts are slow now and I barely think, and suddenly I blink as I realise that I'm staring across the wide desert. I shrug and start walking randomly. I don't start in surprise when I see the giant building towering above the sands, but when I realise that it's not just a mirage, my feet move faster, and faster untill I'm stumbling into a run for the first time since I wake up to find this ashy world. Then suddenly I'm touching the door and sobbing for the first time since I awoke because I'm seeing civilization for the first time in all of the five years that I've searched, and then I pull myself together.

I knock on the door, and after a few moments it opens and I crouch down to pet the small pure-bred fox spirit before I walk in, and the fox leads me to a giant owl. I kneel and give him a treat from my bag of food, that I haven't needed in five years.

"Did some one come in through the front entrance?" Wan Shi Tong asks, and my throat crosses unexpectedly at the sound of a voice that isn't my own. I can't answer, so I just keep petting the spirit, who lets out a quiet yip. The giant owl turns and sees me. "Oh it's you again. Well I guess that pulling this out of the sand would have that effect. Not even Tui and La are here any more."

He seems sympathetic for a moment. "Well, what knowledge do you bring today?"

"May I - may I have a brush and scroll please?" I ask, my voice horse and my mouth working to more as it hadn't in three years, when I had given up talking to my self. The spirit nods and suddenly, I sit and pull in closer almost hungry to write. I dip the brush into the ink and start to paint, the black staining the paper.

* * *

I don't own Avatar: TLA


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello listener, greetings. I know not who will read this but I write this in hopes that some one will someday. The world has been destroyed by Ozai, everything burned, and the castles and igloos of the water tribes melted. As far as I am aware, I am the last person left. The world is dead. I implore who ever reads this, do not let the world get out of balance. I am the Avatar, meant to keep balance, but I could not in the end. I am most likely the last, for there are no water benders to pass my title off to, no humans to evolve bending. So I leave this message to you as the last Avatar of the Elemental Nations, do not repeat our mistakes._

_- From the pen of Avatar Aang of the Air Nomads, 5 years post apocalypse_

* * *

I roll up the scroll and present it to Wan Shi Tong. He silently takes it and after giving to one of the many fox spirits, he looks over to me and the fox spirit. Then he chuckles, and I look up startled.

"Looks like you've finally made a friend Xintu," he said, and the little fox barked. Wan Shi Tong did something with his face for a moment before looking back up at me. "Little Xintu will guide you here. You're lucky that he chose you, he's one of the few creatures that can follow you anywhere. He is Huo de Xintu, Believer of Fire."

Then the spirit was gone making me blink, and I look down as the fox - Xintu - nudges my hand, and somehow I understand that he wants some more meat. this makes me smile and I quickly reach into the pouch to give his another piece. Then he leaps off my lap and after giving a little bark, he starts to lead me through the library, and I follow, stopping every once in a while to check out some interesting books. Suddenly were in front of a section labeled 'Time and Dimensions', and Xintu is pushing a scroll into my hands. I accept the scroll from him and follow as he leads me to a sitting area. I dazedly read the scroll as s memory comes back. I turn to my pouch and start digging, finally coming out with a dusty scroll identical to the one on my lap.

My lips curve as I remember taking the scroll. I hand the dusty scroll to Xintu who silently put it back as I start reading. When he gets back, he rubs against my legs with a bark, and I lift the scroll slightly to allow him room to settle on my lap.

* * *

I am going out into the desert an uncounted time later when I next encounter Wan Shi Tong.

"You are leaving," he states with a significant glance at the scroll in my hand. I nod, words needless. The giant owl spirit looks at the small fox spirit beside me. "Take care of the little one for me, yes?"

"He can come? This says nothing I try to take but the clothes on my back would come!" I say surprise coloring my voice.

"Don't you remember?" Wan Shi Tong asks. "I told you, Xintu is one of the few creature that can follow you anywhere. He is a believer, one of the few rare named that. No one can stop him, because none of us, not even great spirits are as sure of our existence as a Xintu."

"Thank you," I say, a few tears catching in my eye as I take ine last look at the scroll in my hands before I give it to Wan Shi Tong.

Then I scoop up the small spirit fox and walk a hundred paces out before setting him down and taking a solid stance. I turn, hands out, and use bending to inscribe the pattern I need into the sand. The earth is not the only on the bend to my will, but in the fading sunset, water clump as fire bakes and air clears away the extra. When it is finished, I sit down cross-legged in the center and still my mind as Xintu curls up only my lap.

When my mind is still, I send it questing. And with an blink, Xintu, the pattern and I are gone, never to grace this world again.


	3. Chapter 3

"Do you want to go penguin sledding?" The words penetrate my consciousness, even as others are spoken, and I gasp, my eyes flying open as I raise back to consciousness, to see white. I try to raise my hand to rub my eyes, only to find it won't move. I look down to find an _orange haired_ girl clutching it from where she lay next to me, curled around Xintu. I don't know who she is, but something about her draws me to her. Suddenly the words being spoken register in my find again.

"- Well, if you guys are stuck Appa and I can give you a lift."

I curse under my breath, and after a moment decide to just play unconsciousness.

"We'd love a ride, thanks," a female voice says - _not Katara_, my mind notes.

"Do we have to?" a boy's voice says.

"Hey Aang, who are they? And yes Sangok, get up here," the girl orders.

"Who?" my younger self asks curiously.

"Them!"

"I don't know!"

"Who are you talking about Yue?" the boy from earlier asks curiously.

"I'm talking about them," Yue says. There's a crunching of snow and suddenly a hand is on my forehead as another feels my pulse. I keep my breathing even as my heart beats quicker. "Are they alive?"

"Yeah," the boy - Sangok replies. "Hey, Aang, can you help me get them into Appa's saddle?"

"Yeah, wait a second," my younger self replies. There's a sudden crunch and a pair of smaller hands flit across my face before they pause. "What's that?"

They girls is disentangled from me, and my breath quickens as suddenly I turn cold. I can feel the familiar presence of Xintu and my arm curl around him, pulling him closer. Suddenly it's like a weight is gone and I can sleep if only I can get back the warmth the girl gave me.

"I think it's a fox," Sangok replies, his voice sounding distant. "A spirit fox. Who ever that man is, he seems to know what it is."

"Oh," Aang replies. "Let's leave them . . ."

I think they keep speaking, but the only thing I can concentrate in is the girl behind me as they put me in the saddle. I let go of Xintu and reach for the girl, and warmth comes over my again. I vaugly feel Xintu settle on me as voices speak, but I sleep drags me away and onto a cloud and I know nothing more.

* * *

_Where an I? _I think fuzzily, my face buried in the warmth. Another thought drifts into my mind. _Who am I?_

And suddenly like ice cracking, I wake up, swimming in panic and start to struggle. I manage to get out of the warmth as I scramble against the wall, eyes wide and uncomprehending before I curl up into the fetal position.

_Who am I? Who am I, who am I, whoamI, whoami, whoamiwhoamiwhoamiwhoami-_

A sudden groan interrupts my panic and I look up, only focusing on the man in the sleeping bag in front of me. My breathing doesn't stop shaking, but he seems familiar, and something draws me towards him. I curl up against his side and slowly the panic leaves and my breathing returns to normal. I lie there quivering slightly, and slowly become aware of a weight that was on top of me. I open my eyes and move my head slowly untill I could see the object - or rather animal, of silvery blue looking fox. I smile and carefully move the fox off to sit up cross-legged. I giggle when it just leaps into my lap as soon as I'm finished.

"I don't suppose you know who I am?" I whisper as I pet him. Suddenly the man next to me flies up with a cry, and I startle back to the wall again, the fox yelping as it lands on the floor. The man covers his eyes with his hands and the fox nudges him before walking over and rubbing against my legs as I peak over my knees.

"Xintu," the man say, his hands dropping to the sleeping bag. "Where are we?"

The fox barked, and the man looked over. "Oh, who are you?"

"I don't know," my eyes widen and I start to panic again. "Who am I? Who -"

Blackness greeted me.


	4. Chapter 4

I rush to catch the girl before her head hits the ground. I carefully pull her back to the sleeping bag and sit so the back of her head was on my lap. Xintu jumps onto her and curls up on her stomach.

"Great," I mutter. "What am I supposed to do now, Kai and La?"

I look down for a moment and notice her clothes, and stop to stare in disbelief. She was wearing a thin looking light blue long sleeve shirt with a wide navy blue belt, and a skirt of the same color as her belt. I look down at my clothes to find them still the simple sleeveless tunic and lose knee length shorts, died grey from being covered in soot and washed for over five years. Cloth rustles, and I turn to see a Yue with dark hair enter the igloo.

"Hello," she says softly and I nod, motioning her closer.

"What's your name?" she asks softly when she's standing next to me.

"Tai," I say softly, making the split second decision. "Any you?"

"I'm Yue," she says. "What's her name?"

"I don't know. She woke earlier, and says she has amnesia," I reply. "She started panicking and fainted." She should wake any second now."

"Ah."

"Where are we?" I ask.

"The northern water tribe," Yue says. Suddenly the girl gasps and her eyes fly open. Her breath quickens and I quickly pull her up and towards me.

"Shh, it's alright," I murmur in her ear, and slowly her breath slows. I look up at Yue. "May we please have food?"

"Yes, that's why I came here. Just come to my igloo, it's on the right as you step out," she replied with a smile as she turned.

"Thank you," I tell her as she left. Then I turn to the girl in my arms. "Are you alright now?"

She nodded slowly, and I let her go. "You don't remember who you are, and that includes your name right?"

"I think my name starts with Ka," she replied.

"Ka? Well, the only name I can thin of that starts with that is Kaoda," I say after a minute. "It means torture though, so you can do something different if you want."

She shook her head mutely. "Kaoda it is then. Are you cold?"

She shook her head again. "Okay then, come on, let's go get food."

I extend my hand out to her and she takes it after a moment. I pull her to her feet and hold the hanging pelt open for her.

We step into the bright sunlight and she blinks, squinting against the glare.

I hold her hand as we walk to the closest igloo on the right. I hold the pelt over for her again and follow her in again. I blink as I see Sangok determinedly painting his face into that of a Water Tribe warrior.

"- you don't have to do this Sangok!" Yue says.

"I do! I promised your father and your betrothed I'd protect you! I'm going to be your brother in law, and I'm the man of the tribe right now, so you can't stop me!" Sangok said determind.

"What happened?" I ask, sitting down next to Kaoda.

"Aang set off a flare on the Fire Navy ship. Sangok, if you're going to fight, then I'm going to. Your mom died for us, and don't you dare say I can't go because I'm a woman, I'm a much better fighter than you according to Grandpa," Yue argued back. I quickly stuff the horrible sea prunes into my mouth and duck out of the igloo for a moment. Careful to make sure no one could see, I carefully pull a glove off and focus on the snow in front of me. I _push_ and _pull_ and make it melt and twist into a thin clear stream. I mold the stream into a ball and step back inside. Kaoda looked up as I entered again.

"I can help fight," I say, and Yue looks up from her sea prunes. I can tell she won from the way Sangok pouts sullenly.

"How?" she asks. I carefully bend the ball out of my sleeve and back into water. Yue's gasp makes Sangok look up.

"You're a water bender?"


	5. Chapter 5

I look up as the man who had named me entered the tent again.

"I can help fight," he says, and I feel a spike of fear enter me. I close my eyes and bat it down, distantly hearing the girl named Yue ask how. I eyes open, and words flow, my hand scrabbling uselessly and silently, itching to write out the letters of words unfamiliar to this harsh world, but full of comfort.

_The water awakens from the slumber it had been bent to, bending once again to his will and leaping out of his sleeve like a playful cat-otter, curling into a ball and hovering, nearly quivering with excitement as it waited to be called._

"You're a water bender?" the boy named Sangok asks, wonder in his voice. I clench my hand around my spoon and draw in a sharp breath, eyes closing.

"Yeah," the man replies, sitting down next to me. "I can't do much because I'm leaving soon, but I can help with this one fight."

"Thank you Tai!" Sangok says in relief, and my finger relax. There's a ding, and Sangok gets up, putting his dishes in a bin next to the door-flap before he opens it. "Grandpa! What is it?"

"Zuko and Azula are back, and they say that they spotted a fire nation ship coming closer,and the think it's because of Aang," the old man standing at the door said. My focus was more on the man - Tai - and the way his fist had clenched at the name Azula, and words flow for a moment - _Azula is blue fire deception. _

"Tui and La!" Sangok exclaims. "Is Azula alright?"

"What about Zuko?" Yue asked, her hand flying to the carved pendant on her neck.

"They're fine, in fact -"

"We're right here," a women's voice says as someone pushes Sangok into the igloo. My hand twitches. _Skin pale against the raven hair and navy blue furs, sharp amber eyes glimpse me. _I clench it and look up as two more people enter.

"Zuko!" Yue cried, leaping for the taller man. My fingers move despite my clenching. _Zuko's golden eyes are natural in his pale face, the right side barely shadowed by a burn scar, and night sky hair scraggly._ "Who are those two?"

"Ah, they were in the ice burg with Aang. He said he didn't know them though. This is Tai," Sangok said, waving to Tai. "And the girl doesn't remember anything."

"She said her name started with a Ka sound so I gave her the name Kaoda," Tai said.

"That's not the problem Zuko, Yue wants to fight," Sangok exclaimed. Zuko turned Yue around in his arms to look into her eyes.

"Can you do it?" he asked, searching her eyes.

"Zuko -"

"Yes, " she replied with certainty.

"Alright then, you can fight," Zuko said releasing her.

"But Zuko!" Sangok groaned.

"No buts, you wouldn't even think of trying to stop Azula right?" Zuko asked sitting down and grabbing himself a bowl of sea prunes.

"Yeah but -" Sangok gulped as Azula sat down next to him and turned her eyes on him.

"Now, now, Sangok, we both know that I wouldn't still be teaching her if she couldn't fight fell after two and a half years under my tutelage, right?" Azula purred, using a flame on the tip of her index finger to warm the bowl of sea prunes that Zuko handed her. Sangok gulped before looking down and sighing.

"Fine. But please Yue," he pleads. "Don't get hurt."

Yue giggled, _moon light on rippling water, _and nodded. "Don't worry cousin. I'll be fine."

Then she turned to Zuko. "Zuko, Tai's a water bender, he can help us."

Zuko looks at Tai as he sits next to me. "You can water bend?"

In reply, Tai stretches his hand out.

_Snow dissolves and raises like an eager bear puppy and swirls into a ball. Then it weaves like a ribbon and I feel awe radiating from Yue and Sangok._

"Well you're definitely good at it,"Zuko said and suddenly I freeze because **pain **and **loneliness **and **guilt **and **OhSpiritsIwanttodieithurtssomuch,**

My eyes well with tears, and I throw my self at him crying.

There's a sudden silence before everyone starts shouting but Zuko just looks at me confused for a second before awkwardly wrapping my in his arms.

"Why are you crying?" he asks softly. I don't answer him for a couple of minutes, not being calm enough untill I'm back in Tai's arms a couple of minutes later.

" 'Cause you can't," I mumble, looking up with tears coating my eyes before I turn and bury my face into Tai's shoulder to cry again.

The meeting is dismissed soon after, and Tai gently carries my to our igloo and holds me as I slip into an exhausted sleep, emotionally and physically drained.


	6. Chapter 6

"Again," Commander Zhou commands, and I grit my teeth as I shoot a blast of fire over the railing with the rest of the fighters. _It's for Amoe,_ I remind myself even though I know that she hate the way I desperately try to gain money in any form to hire doctors that gave us the same advice over and over again in hopes of a cure. Joining the Fire Nation Army was my last-ditch effort now that Amoe was having a major fit from Kuroi-Chi every day, one of my many regrets being that I was forced to leave her in that village that hated her for her eyes - witch eyes they called them, her beautiful eyes, one a shimmering burnt orange and the other the color of the fake emeralds the village head would sometimes parade around. I left her, and they found her, using her to threaten my and secure my loyalty.

"Private Hai!" Commander Zhou barked, and I snap to attention.

"Sir!" I shout.

"You're letting your breathing carry to much of the power of the fire! Use your muscles more!" Zhou barked.

"Sir yes, sir!" I respond, and hating myself I follow his instructions, making my bending angrier and fiercer.

* * *

I return to my quarters and just stand there for a moment before I throw all of my stuff onto my bed, stripping out of the heavy armor and running to the empty supply room I had found. I settle into a lotus position and with my eyes closed let all of the tenseness required for the bending style Zhou was teaching to his crew seep out of me as I revel in the inner fire I could feel now that all of my hate and rage at the commander are gone, or at least tucked away enough that they can't interrupt me anymore. My eyes flick open and I settle into the stance I had been tought, letting my wrists and ankles flow like the water of my sister's bending, a secret I had given everything to protect, before flowing into the dances I had performed with my sister back when she was well enough, that now felt empty. Suddenly a blaring alarm cuts through my concentration, making me pivot mid-move into a crouch.

"All hands on deck! All hands on deck!" sounded the tube in the corner of the room. "Be prepared for hostility."

I curse and sprint back to my room, slipping in unnoticed and throwing on the armor I had left haphazardly lying all over my bed. Then I'm sprinting to the deck and falling in line with my captain, finding him with a single glance. We settle into ranks and stand at attention in front of the Commander. One everyone's there, he calls out, "Be at ease."

Everyone's feet spread and arms go behind our backs. "Today soldiers, we have found the Avatar! Rejoice for he lives in the southern village, an unguarded, barren place. Today we march on!"

Everyone cheers, forced or not before we are dismissed, all except for me.

"Now Private Hai," Zhou smirks at the title. "You know that I have your sister on this ship, yes? Well I just thought I should remind you that I can have her throat slit any time I want."

My face doesn't betray the rolling sea of emotions within me as I salute. "Yes Sir!"

"Dismissed," he says, waving a hand absently and I taste the bile as I march back to my quarters. _Why me?_ is what I'll never understand. Why the commander of this large ship, who surly has better things to do, is interested in threatening a private - who just joined months ago - and going far enough to bring the object he's using to threaten me with us. I barely notice the time pass as I sit numbly on my bunk, but suddenly the alarm is sounding and thee ship is shuddering and I'm running up to the deck again. My eyes close as I am picked by commander Zhou as one of the five men to accompany him to the shore, the only one from my squad.

"And just to be nice, my men will be holding your sister on deck to see it," he remarks.

I numbly follow him down the bow spit and onto the ice, absently placing my feet like I always did on Amoe's ice, noting that everyone else was having troubles.

"Where are you hiding him?" Zhou demands.

"Hiding who?" a voice echos around us.

"The Avatar, I know you have him!" Zhou shouts at the women and children cowering in front of him. I absently note that there weren't any teens as there should be, according to when we were told the men went off._  
_

Suddenly the snow is pulled up from the ground as water, refreezing to form a wall of ice in front of the villagers.


	7. Chapter 7

"We are not hiding the Avatar," I say, stepping out from behind the ice wall, confident it would hold.

"Oh?" the man without a helmet replied.

"Quite," Sangok said stepping up next to me. He wrinkles in the refined way that I'd tought him.

"If you have no Avatar, then how about an air bender?" the man said. "Or the boy who set off that flare. You must have _him_ at least, right?"

"And again you are wrong Zhou," Tai says stepping out from behind the other side of the wall. He nods at me in an absent way, and The ice wall comes down, the ice floor absorbing it without a trace. The villagers are gone.

"And who are you?" the man asks as his soldiers shift. My eyes are drawn to the most unconfident one and I smile suddenly as I see Aang in the distance, riding towards us on a penguin-seal.

"Your average water peasant," Tai says, and I can tell that he's spotted Aang from the way he puts on a show, grabbing a bunch of snow and melting it to form at water whip, which he whips out to pull the unconfident soldier over to me, and releasing it into the air to form a misty rainbow. There are gasp and I feel the soldier in my arms struggle to get away, but I hold tight and slip a knife in front of his throat, causing him to be still as ice. Then Aang comes through and knocks Zhou over, sending a spray of snow over all of the soldiers. The penguin pushes him off and waddles away.

"Hi Yue. Hi Sangok," Aang greets before turning to Tai. "You're the person who was asleep right? I'm Aang!"

"Hello Aang, I'm Tai," Tai replies with a bow towards him.

"Nice to meet you," Aang said before turning to face Zhou. "Looking for me?"

"You're the avatar?" Zhou asked incredulously.

"Yup!" Aang replied. (Obviously Yue and Sangok are smarter than Katara and Sokka.)

"I've spent years preparing for this encounter. Training. Meditating. You're just a child," Zhou said amused. I tense knowing that our old plan won't work any more.

"And your just a bully," Aang replied. He hits his staff against the ground once. "If I go with you, will you promise to leave everyone alone?"

Zhou raises an eyebrow amused. "Sure."

"Aang! Stay in good health!" I call suddenly on impulse.

"Don't worry, Yue, it'll be okay," he says as they push him forward. "Take care of Appa for me until I get back."

"Head a course to the Fire Nation," Zhou says. "I've got a prize to deliver."

I knock the soldier I'm holding out.

* * *

We work silently to repair the wall that had been knocked down the the ship. I drew water and ice to us so we didn't thin the ice around the village, and Sangok made the wall and froze it. Tai even fit into our routine, checking for cracks and filling them so we didn't have to go over the wall later.

"We have to go after that ship, Sangok. Aang's the Avatar, we can't let them have him," I say.

"Yue, I guess you weren't listening, but are you coming or not?" Sangok asked, motioning to the pile of stuff next to him. I look at it confused even as Kaoda drops one more onto the pile. I smile.

"Thanks Sangok," I say and hurry back to my tent to grab my things. I've just dumped all of it on the pile with Kaoda's help when Grandpa come up.

"And what do you two think you're doing?" he asks sternly.

"Master Pakku," Sokka says bowing to the old water bender.

"Here," Grandpa says, dumping another parcel onto our pile. "You just hang on tight to your hope, yes?"

"Thank you Grandpa!" I say, leaping forward to hug him.

"Now here, take this with you to," Grandpa says, dumping the fire nation prisoner I'd caught earlier. "I don't want him dying on me!"

"Now there is no way we are going any were with all this stuff without a big ship. What's your plan?" I ask Sangok.

"We're using Appa," Tai said from behind me as he started throwing stuff up onto the bison's saddle. I see the soldier tense out of the corner of my eye.

"Makes sense. So, what are we going to do with this guy?" I ask, grabbing the soldier's wrists.

"Let me go!" thew soldier barked. "Let me go! I gotta get back! Let me go! Or they'll kill-"

He suddenly goes silent, but the last statement catches our attention.

"They'll kill who?" I ask as Tai resumes throwing packs onto the bison's back. The soldier looks away, and I notice his youth. He's my age.

"Who, will they kill?" I ask, my voice entering the danger zone. "Tell. Me."

"My sister," the teen mutters brokenly. "My twin sister. She's- she's got Kuroi-Chi too."

"Okay, we'll rescue your sister," I say and Sangok snorts as he climbs onto the bison. I don't let go of the soldier as I climb onto the bosin and I use a bit of snow from the ground to create cuffs that I'm well aware won't hold long against a fire bender.

"Let's go!" I yell to Tai, who was holding the reins attached to the bison's head.

"Yes mam'," he shouts mockingly back as he snaps the reins. "Yip yip!"


	8. Chapter 8

They forgot about me. Again. I glare at the four people flying away from me on the bison. I turn and start when I see the old man who had talked with the other staring at me.

"They forgot about you didn't they?" he asked sympathetically. I nod, my mouth working to form the words.

"Ah. Yes."

Master Pakku (I decided to follow Sangok's example) smile at me. "You can take the canoe to follow them right?"

I nod, turning to the little canoe floating on the - _vast, unending, harsh, unyielding _- sea. Master Pakku pushes me forward.

"Then go," he says simply. "You seem capable of many things child, and in this, I am never wrong."

I nod and hesitantly step into the boat, letting it rock to stillness before I sit down. I turn to see Master Pakku again, and he waves at me.

"One way or another, I shall see you when this war ends!" he calls and I smile, waving my paddle before I push it in and - _swift through the water _- stroke.

* * *

_Stoke - forward - left - right - stroke. See the smoke - follow it - find the ship - found it - rhythm - follow the prow - pull ahead - am I in trance - ship isn't moving._

* * *

Something jolts me and I realise my eyes are open, and my arms are moving. I blink, slowly recognising the shore in front of me. My arms go limp as I blink again and I look up to see the mountains that are practically touching the sea, and blink as I remember getting here -_am I in trance -_ and realise where I am. I blink again and smile as I remember Master Pakku's words, _'You seem capable of many things child, and in this, I am never wrong.'_

Seems he wasn't in this.

I get out and drag the canoe to the beach, and close my eyes for a moment, finally letting my clenched hand relax as I squat, and my finger moves through the sand. I open my eyes when it seems finished and the first thing I notice is the bright red of my skirt and belt thing, and the yellow of my shirt. I frown but . . . _While I can't remember if this is normal, I probably wouldn't be surprised if it was, but, just about everything surprises me here so, oh well._

I start reading the writing on the sand.

_I look up at the pathway through the trees that I hadn't seen before. Really?!_

I snort and stand, dusting my skirt off. I sigh and turn towards the mountains, resigned. I look up at the pathway through the trees that I hadn't seen before. Really?! For one, I hadn't been looking for a pathway up the mountain, and for two, really? Just really? I sigh and start off, my toes digging into the sand and propelling me faster and faster till I'm racing through the trees, the dirt beneath me giving way to my toes and the very tip of my foot, the edge of my arch and my heels never touching the ground as I race myself up the mountain. The first clearing I reach, after about five minutes of sprinting has a tall pole in the center, and I slump, panting for a moment, as I catch my breath. Suddenly freeze as something whuffles against my hair. I turn very slowly and carefully to find a large black . . . animal that kind of reminded me of - of - of a cat. With wings. And a . I don't move as it moves forward, pressing it's nose into my shirt. When I stay still, it buts me and I hesitantly put my hand on it's head.

It leans into the touch, encouraging me to rub harder. As I do it makes a sound kind of like 'Chuff - chuff - chuff - chuff - chuff . . .', and I smile, rubbing harder down the neck as it pushed me. I yelp when suddenly I'm being pushed up onto the animal's back. I only just manage to grab hold of the band around the animal's neck as it crouches before it leaps off the ground. And suddenly, I'm flying.


	9. Chapter 9

I walk after the three people who had rescued me, aware of a new easiness in my breathing.

* * *

_"You said she's got Kuro-chi right?" a voice asks, and I'm aware of the constant movement around me as I struggle to keep breathing._

_"Yes," my brother's voice says, but Hai can't be here, he went off to be a soldier before they took me. A soft, callused hand takes mine, and I can feel a second tracing over the back of my other hand as I'm moved so my head is on someone's lap. "Can you do anything about it? Water benders are supposed to be able to heal. Please!"_

_"Hold on a second!" the other voice snaps, and I become aware of an undercurrent of murmuring. "I don't have to do this often, but I'll try my best alright."_

_"Yes, thank you," the person who sounded like my brother said. There was a slight humming sound as water covered my chest, and I feel the effort to breathe get lower, letting me slip away. I feel like I'm a feather._

* * *

Hai's helping me up a boulder when a scream echos over our heads, and we both duck as something shots over our heads. I look up to see a dust cloud as the sound of someone laughing echo towards us. The dust clears and I see a large black animal butting a girl in a red skirt and yellow shirt.

"Thank you! That was awesome!" the girl laughs, rubbing the animal's head.

"Kaoda?" Tai calls, and the girl looks up.

"Yeah?"

Tai stands and walks towards her, Aang following.

"How on earth did you manage to get one of the silent one's to bond with you?" Tai and Aang yelled in sync before Tai continued on his own. "And how did you get those clothes?"

"This guy just came to me. And these," she said looking at her clothes, "My clothes turned this color when I got to this island!"

"You're being extremly talkative," Tai remarks as he walks up to the black cat-something with wings and petted it.

"Yep!" Kaoda says bouncing like a small child. "I've just felt so energetic since I got here!"

Then she look over to me. "Is that the girl with Kuro-chi?"

"Yeah," Tai says, his voice sombre.

Kaoda promtly sits down, smoothing her skirts out, and holds her hands out parallel to the ground, palms down, with her eyes closed. Then her hands started to move suddenly as if they were being dragged, and she swayed with the sweeping movements. I climb closer, facinated at the obvious sign of spirits, and look at the words written on the ground around her. Then her eyes open and she sighs, collapsing against the black cat-something with wings.

"Finally, the energy is gone," she mutters. I smile at her before turning back to the words.

_Child of water, earth, and fire, seek the child of the moon. Only she can cure you. We wish peace unto you and your brother._

"What's it say?" Hai finally asks as I stand. I frown at him but answer.

"_Child of water, earth, and fire, seek the child of the moon. Only she can cure you. We wish peace unto you and your brother._ Can't you read it?" I ask turning back to him.

He shakes his head. "No, it's just a bunch of smudges."

I frown and turn back to the words, to find he's entierly correct. "Huh."

"Hey guys!" Aang calls form much, _much_ further up the mountain. "Hurry up! I want to get there before the sun sets!"

"Yeah, yeah, we're coming!" Tai calls back. Then he turns back to us. "Come on then. As fun as this is, I would like dinner before midnight."

We all hurridly start up the mountain as his words set in. The black cat-something with wings takes off with a strong blast of wind and lands up at the landing platform at the the top of the mountain, curling into a ball and falling asleep. When I reach it a few minutes later, I glare at it and consider givving it a good kick before Kaoda pulls me past him and into the temple, seemingly having her energy back. "Come on!"

My eye twitches.


End file.
